Sullivan County DA Meagan Galligan announced that Ralph Sparks, 55, of Liberty, was convicted of Burglary in the Second Degree by a jury’s verdict rendered before the Sullivan County Court on November 17. The arrest, indictment and trial of Sparks followed a call to the Liberty Police from the owner of a home on South Main Street in the Village of Liberty on February 28, who returned home from lunch and discovered an unknown man in his home, stealing property.

Village of Liberty Police immediately responded and, following an investigation which included review of area video surveillance, identified Sparks and took him into custody on March 1. At trial, the homeowner, as well as several other witnesses, testified, and video surveillance demonstrating Sparks traveling to and running from the home as the homeowner chased him were played. The jury returned its unanimous verdict of guilty following less than one hour of deliberations.

 Sparks’ criminal history includes convictions for burglaries and larcenies spanning decades, including New Jersey burglary, larceny and possession of stolen property convictions from 1989, 1993, 1996, and 1998, as well as convictions stemming from his commission of 3 burglaries in 2002 in Sullivan County. During those crimes, Sparks stole items including jewelry, cash and a loaded handgun. Sparks was ultimately released to parole supervision for those crimes in 2020.

Normally, Sparks would face up to fifteen years of incarceration on his current conviction, which is a class C violent felony offense. However, under New York’s Persistent Felony Offender Statute, Sparks could be sentenced to up to 25 years to life in prison if the Court determines that he has previously been sentenced to prison on two or more separate felony convictions and that his history and character and the nature and circumstances of his conduct warrant extended incarceration and lifetime supervision to best serve the public interest. Sullivan County Court Judge Jim Farrell has scheduled a hearing on this issue for January 12, 2022.

Galligan said, “This victim bravely came face to face with the person who violated the sanctity and security of his home not only at the time of this offense, but again as he testified at trial. I am grateful to the jury for its attention and commitment to this trial. I applaud the victim for his bravery, the Liberty Police for their immediate and thorough investigation and ADA Michael Puma his dedication and hard work on this case. As for this defendant, I look forward to a sentence that helps to safeguard our community from future offenses, as he has repeatedly demonstrated his unwillingness to lawfully function in civilized society.”

 Sparks represented himself at trial, with advisory assistance from Christopher Ng, Esq. He remains incarcerated at the Sullivan County Jail awaiting sentencing.